In the autumn term of 2011, it was identified that a programme of support for developing science in the curriculum was required at a newly opened special school, Beacon Reach, in Lancashire, which caters to children with autism spectrum disorders. Staff wanted to provide a relevant and meaningful curriculum, accessible even to young people who…

KSU redefined the MOOC value proposition through collaboration of university leadership and faculty. The new proposition shifts measures of success beyond just course completion to include measures that benefit students, faculty, and the institution. Students benefitted through access to open educational resources, the acquisition of professional…

The Joining Forces Initiative challenges nursing programs throughout the country to develop curriculum that addresses the unique healthcare issues facing veterans. It is imperative that Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) students acquire the knowledge that will help them to care for veterans in all areas of nursing practice. This article…

In this final chapter, we summarize the lessons learned from working with six systems/consortia to enhance and expand undergraduate research. The theory of change model for systems/consortia differs in significant ways from the change processes exhibited by individual institutions, offering important insights for academic leaders as they seek to…

Tuning is a faculty-driven initiative designed to improve the quality of higher education by establishing transparent and fully assessable learning outcomes and proficiencies for degrees, discipline by discipline. Unlike many other initiatives in the United States which function within an individual institution, the Utah Tuning Project involved…

Schools and communities continually strive to develop more effective methods of educating children and youth about mental health and how to access available resources. Despite this apparent need, several barriers prevent youth from engaging in discussion and taking action. Young people are of special concern since three fourths of all mental…

Title II of the "Higher Education Act of 1965" ("HEA"), as amended in 2008 by the "Higher Education Opportunity Act," requires states to report annually on key elements of their teacher preparation programs and requirements for initial teacher credentialing, kindergarten through 12th grade. "Title II News You Can…

In this article we document our experiences as facilitators for the "Engaging All Students" professional learning community (PLC), which was implemented to help Toronto public school teachers re-engage underachieving students. These students, who are known as "marker students," are members of the school system's most…

Much is known about the benefits of interacting with animals for learners. However, little is known about the animals' potential influence on the communication ability of the presenter/educator. The purpose of this qualitative study was to describe the experience of undergraduate students who used live animals (baby chicks, turtles, salamanders,…

We describe a pair of fully integrated courses designed to teach biology to non-majors in a manner that connects authentically to the liberal arts. The co-taught courses were organized around the question: What does it mean to be human? Students investigated this question in the context of three topics: dis/ability, race, and sex and gender. In…

In the My Teaching Partner (MTP) program, coaches engage teachers in 6 to 9 coaching cycles across a school year. Guided by the program's theory, coaches help teachers reflect on the emotional, organizational, and instructional features of classrooms. MTP was originally developed for pre-K and early elementary classrooms (MTP Pre-K), but this…

Historically, students with disabilities graduate from high school at lower rates than peers without disabilities. As a result, many students with disabilities also have poor postsecondary or adult outcomes, such as unemployment or employment in lowpaying jobs. This state spotlight presents strategies the West Virginia Department of Education…

Program monitoring is an important and necessary assessment practice within the field of early childhood deaf education. Effective program monitoring requires a focus on both the consistent implementation of intervention strategies (fidelity) and the assessment of children's ongoing progress in response to interventions (progress monitoring).…

Teacher preparation programs have both a desire and a responsibility to demonstrate, with affirmative evidence, that teacher education makes a difference in PreK-12 student learning. Program faculty need good data to make decisions about the progress of students, whom to recommend for state licensure, and how to improve teacher education. This…

The Biomanufacturing Training and Education Center (BTEC) at North Carolina State University is an instructional center that offers education and training programs in the area of biopharmaceutical process development and manufacturing. Our programs are designed to provide educational opportunities throughout the "life cycle" of a…